


Broken Dreams

by MrsJohnReese



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29350659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsJohnReese/pseuds/MrsJohnReese
Summary: After years spent apart, Sadie was eager for the prospect of joining her brother in the town he called home. But what she finds when she arrives is a far different town than she imagined, and before she has even been there a week, she finds herself swept up on an adventure that will end in either absolute bliss, or utter ruin, instead. Old West M7. Eventual Buck/OC
Relationships: Buck Wilmington/Original Female Character(s), J. D. Dunne/Casey Wells





	1. Chapter 1

Gazing past the curtain that covered a sizable portion of the stagecoach window, Sadie found it difficult to suppress the excitement she felt over the contrast presented by the rolling expanse of countryside, when compared to the close, and almost even cramped quarters of the city she was leaving behind. Of course, she was not ungrateful for the time spent there, the kindly elderly couple that had taken her in while she continued her education having become something like friends, such that she had even sworn them to the idea of exchanging letters with her as often as they could once she was gone. But, having been raised on an almost obscenely large plot of land as a young girl, with nothing but wood fences and grass and open sky as far as the eye could see, Sadie would have been a liar to say that the close confines of Philadelphia had not been a bit jarring, at least at the start of her residence in the city…

At the time of her departure, however, even she would have been forced to admit she would miss some of the people she had known there, whether or not she felt that the only place she could truly be happy was one in which the sky was unobstructed above her.

Turning her attention towards the other occupants of the coach, Sadie spared a smile for the young woman and her son seated across from her, the boy's attention still every bit as fixated upon the toy horse he held in his lap as it had been when they boarded. All too soon, however, thoughts of another little boy playing with a similar toy had her mouth tugging into a frown, her eyes blinking rapidly in an effort to dispel the sudden stinging sensation that had taken root at the corners while she once again directed her attention to the passing scenery, instead.

No, she could not allow herself to be drawn in by the memory of that little boy. Not when all that she wanted was to succumb to the eagerness she felt over seeing her brother for the first time in years, and forget about the past, entirely.

Much to her surprise, it was not very long before the brilliant blues, browns and greens of the surrounding countryside lifted her spirits once again, a gloved hand lifting to push the fabric of the curtain back just a bit as she caught sight of the faint outline of a small town not all that far away. And before she fully reconciled herself to the act, Sadie was straightening in her seat, practically perching on its edge as the coach continued to move on down the dusty path, and the town drew ever nearer.

"You got someone special waitin' for ya in Four Corners?" The man seated beside her inquired, a sly smile magnifying the beginnings of crow's feet around his dark eyes, while his elbow branched out to nudge against Sadie's side in tandem, the brief flicker of uncertainty she felt over the contact causing her brow to furrow for a moment before she replied.

"My brother, sir."

"A family reunion, then. How nice," The man remarked, reaching over to pat the hand that still remained poised upon the fabric of Sadie's skirts, and remaining oblivious to the fact that she had frozen in place, only just suppressing the desire to recoil, "It been a long time since ya seen him last?"

"Several years, yes," Sadie confirmed, shifting as slowly as she dared to avoid appearing rude, and yet wishing to grant herself as much distance between herself, and the man who smelled rather distinctly of the spirits he had been imbibing in since the start of their journey as she could, "I was still a little girl the last time I saw him."

"Still are a little girl, from what I see."

Opting for a silent nod in lieu of a response that might only incite further awkward comments, Sadie allowed her attention to stray towards the woman seated across from her, her lips turning upward in what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she realized the older woman had drawn her little boy closer against her side in response to the dialogue she had so clearly overheard. In truth, she was more than a little unnerved herself, though her current determination to remain focused upon the more positive aspects of the journey nearing its end seemed to allow her to forgo giving in to that apprehension without much trouble at all. And so, Sadie settled herself once again to the task of gazing out the window, her relief that they had nearly arrived at their destination almost palpable as she shifted once again upon the seat, prepared to disembark as soon as the stagecoach came to a complete halt.

That end was not too long in coming, Sadie's enthusiasm vibrating through her as they rolled to a stop, the brief jostling that indicated the driver had begun to see to the task of sorting their belongings giving her leave to place a hand upon the door, only to find herself thwarted in the act as the man beside her shambled around her smaller frame, forcing her to shrink back against the seat to avoid close contact while he took the liberty of disembarking first.

"Apologies, Miss. Couldn't let ya get out unattended, and risk ya fallin an' breakin' that pretty neck o' yours," He informed, extending a hand that Sadie found, to her dismay, she could not really refuse if she wanted to succeed in getting out of the coach, herself, any time soon, her expression remaining cautiously neutral despite how she fought against the urge to cringe as the man's hand tightened around her own. She had nearly freed herself from the confines of the coach, when a sudden gust of wind blew a few stray locks of blonde hair around her face. And whether by the startling brightness of the midday sun temporarily blinding her when compared to the darker interior of the coach, or the slight tug she could have sworn she felt on her hand, Sadie soon found herself missing the lower step almost entirely, a startled yelp escaping as she fell forward into the man's waiting arms and was forced to throw her arms around his neck to keep from tumbling to the ground.

"Careful there, pretty one. That's it," He went on, the tightening of his hands around Sadie's waist as she managed to regain her footing causing her breath to hitch in her throat, one of her hands lifting to push at the hair that had once more blown across her brow, while the other attempted to smooth her dress, where it had wrinkled a bit as a result of her fall. She would have been remiss to behave as though the idea of prolonged contact with this man did not set her skin to crawling, her attempts to break free of the hold he had upon her waist seemingly thwarted at every turn. But before she had fully come to a decision on whether it would be wiser to continue to rely upon all the charms her schooling had taught her, or to give into the instinct that already had the beginnings of a scream building at the base of her throat, Sadie found the effort rendered futile, the familiarity of the voice that broke the terse silence between herself and her unwanted rescuer filling her with such a sense of relief that she found it almost impossible to ignore the momentary buckling of her knees, until she was pulled back to rest against a mercifully sturdy frame, and all was right with the world once again.

"Reckon you can let her go now," The voice began, the words level enough, despite the fact that their recipient clearly did not miss the barely veiled threat that rested beneath them if he chose to persist in keeping his hands upon the young woman in question.

"I'll look after my sister from here."

…


	2. Chapter 2

"Your sister," The man repeated, noting the appearance of two other men who had moved to flank the one he addressed, hands drifting towards weapons holstered at their belts in readiness for responding to a threat, "Didn't know she was yours, cowboy."

"She ain't anybody's, mister. That don't give you the right to touch her, though."

"Nah, I was just tryin' to help her down from the coach. Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"Reckon there is when ya keep your hands on her after she's already got her feet 'neath her," The man to the immediate right of the one in black interjected, his head tilting back just a bit so that he could see his potential adversary better beneath the brim of his hat, "An' don't call him cowboy again, if ya know what's good for ya."

"Why not?"

"He hates that."

"Well I didn't mean no offense by it," The man assured, glancing between the three men who now held the woman he had tried to make a pass at within the protection of their significantly taller frames, and deciding that the idea of taking them on alone, when the rest of the observers that had gathered nearby clearly did not intend to come to his aid would be foolhardy, indeed, "I'll be goin' now, if y'all don't object."

"We don't."

"And I'll be beggin' your pardons, Miss. Didn't mean to frighten ya."

When nothing save for a faint lift of the head in acknowledgement came in response to his admittedly half-hearted attempt at making amends, the man took one step back, and then another, before turning on a heel and hurrying to gather his small satchel from the growing pile to the side of the coach. It would have been a lie to say anything but that the willingness of so many to defend one small girl's honor had surprised him, when he had all but anticipated she would be his to do with whatever he pleased for however long he liked. But inasmuch as he was fighting off the sting of disappointment at the prospect of having to seek his entertainment elsewhere, the man also knew that as much as he had lost as it pertained to pleasure, he had gained when it came to information to pass along for the right price.

He had heard rumors of the man who had been the first to step forward to protect her, of course, and if he knew one thing just from what little he had seen already, it was that the girl appeared to be worth far more to that man than his own life.

She was a weakness, and weaknesses were only good for one thing.

Leverage.

…

"You alright, ma'am?" Josiah inquired, summoning a smile for the young woman tucked tightly against Chris' side, and noting that although she did not seem inclined to move from such an apparently well-protected position, she did offer him a ready smile, before she replied.

"Fine, thank you. Better, now that I'm here," Sadie began, shifting to glance up at her brother, and frowning a bit as she gathered by his expression that he was not at all convinced by her attempts to provide reassurance, "I am, you know. There was nothing untoward-"

"Man laid his hands on ya. Seems untoward enough to me."

"Well, the lady's just fine, now that she's with you. Reckon that means she'll be needin' some food an' a place to rest from the journey," Josiah pressed, seemingly aware that the young woman in question was watching Chris somewhat warily, in the wake of his apparently dark mood, and choosing to distract him as best he could by going on, "If it's all the same to you, I could use a bit of a meal, myself."

"I'll keep an eye on that feller, make sure he gets outta town," The other man put in, picking up on Josiah's effort to prevent Chris from following after the man himself, and choosing to assist however he could, after making a point of introducing himself to the young woman in hopes that she would no longer look so alarmed by what he had said, "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Name's Vin."

"Sadie. And the pleasure is all mine."

Watching as the man who had just introduced himself gave a slight tip of the hat in response to her words before turning to head off in the same direction as the man who had been so determined to accost her, Sadie allowed herself to relax just a bit, her gaze once again turning towards her brother as she shifted until her much smaller hand could reach for and take his own. Almost instantaneous with the movement, she found herself beneath a familiarly searching gaze, her suspicion that Chris had hardly believed her promise of being perfectly fine proving true as soon as she looked him in the eye. And though she remembered her brother as a man who was capable of unerring focus when it came to protecting his own, Sadie was possessed with an equally fervent determination to prevent him from feeling the need to go after the man himself, her certainty that he would not trouble them any further giving her enough motivation to squeeze Chris' hand, before she spoke once again.

"I think we should listen to your friend, Chris."

"Josiah, ma'am."

"Josiah," Sadie repeated, nodding as she did her best to commit the name to memory, and moving to give her brother's hand another tug as she endeavored to persuade him to move along with her as she prepared to follow after Josiah as he led the way towards the swinging doors of the nearby saloon. For a moment, she almost believed Chris would refuse, the slight jumping of a muscle in his jaw giving her every reason to suspect that were it not for her presence at his side, he would have gone after the man already. But just as she had been prepared to relinquish her hold on his hand so that he could do what he so clearly desired, Sadie found herself resisting, her eyes meeting her brother's once again as he finally returned the squeeze she had given mere moments before, and granted her the closest thing to a smile that she had seen in quite some time.

If she could simply get him to see that she truly was alright, then perhaps she could persuade him to forget about the somewhat troubling reality of the man that had marred the moment of her arrival altogether.

…

"You eat any more of those eggs, and you'll be needin' to start takin' some of mine," JD warned, scooting his own plate just a bit closer towards him, and watching as Buck shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth as though he had not even spoken at all, "I need to go find Inez to get another plate?"

"Don't worry about me, JD. I'm doin' just fine," Buck denied, placing the fork he held on the edge of his plate with a faint clink, and using the now freed hand to reach over and clap his younger companion on the shoulder before going on, "Just tryin' to make sure I get a head start ridin' out to meet Judge Travis 'fore he gets into town."

"What for? We settin' up a guard for him or somethin'?"

"Me an' Chris thought it'd be a good idea to have someone ridin' with him just in case. That's all."

"Well maybe I could go with you," JD offered, eager for the prospect of getting away from the town if it meant he would escape a day where absolutely nothing of consequence happened at all, "Give ya some back-up in case it's needed."

"You'll need to talk to Chris about that, son. S'not my call."

"Then I'll ask him as soon as I see him. Should be turnin' up here, soon, right?"

"JD, the minute I can tell ya exactly when Chris plans on showin' up is the minute I start takin' Ezra up on his bets, 'cause I know I'm gonna win," Buck informed, laughing almost immediately in the wake of his companion's exasperated expression, and pausing for just long enough to reach for the fork and scoop up the last of the eggs upon his plate before going on, "That man does things in his own-"

"His own what?" JD demanded, his brow furrowing as Buck trailed off into silence, his grip on the fork in his hand faltering just a bit so that bits of egg tumbled back onto the plate, unheeded, "His own what, Buck?"

When no reply seemed to be forthcoming, JD settled for the next best thing, his gaze following Buck's in time to note the arrival of the man they had just been discussing, along with Josiah, and a woman he did not recognize trailing between them. Exhaling in exasperation, JD found it was not long before he was shaking his head and turning back towards his apparently flummoxed companion, his fingertips drumming on the table for a moment, before he tried to divert the older man's attention once again.

"Didn't think you would lose your train of thought just 'cause you saw a pretty girl."

"That's not just any pretty girl, JD."

"You gonna give me any more than that?"

"Don't have to, kid," Buck replied, the fork falling, forgotten, to the plate as he stood with a resounding scrape of chair legs against the wooden floorboards, and nearly tripped over the jacket he had slung over the next chair adjacent, a scowl crossing his features as became aware of JD's ensuing laughter that came about as a result, "Shut it, JD. This ain't as funny as ya think."

"Could've fooled me," The younger man quipped, moving to follow along in Buck's wake, only to find that he was brought to an abrupt halt after nearly colliding with the taller man's back as he froze in place once again. Emitting a huff, JD rocked back on his heels, steadying his balance, and then peering around Buck's shoulder to see what on earth could have caused him to come to a stop so quickly. In next to no time at all, it became apparent that the cause was nothing more than his sudden movement apparently garnering the young woman's attention, her expression curious to say the least as she peered at Buck for a moment or two, until a wide smile pulled at both corners of her mouth. JD would have been a liar to pretend he did not understand the potential for captivation with the newcomer, though in contrast to Buck, at least he noted the almost protective stance Chris had taken at her side. But before he could make any attempt at informing his friend of that particular realization, JD found the effort rendered futile, the sight of the young woman moving as gracefully as she could around Josiah's chair even in spite of the obvious reality of Chris' apparent reluctance to allow her to leave his side effectively garnering his attention until she had thrown her arms around Buck's neck, and placed an affectionate kiss against his cheek.

"Buck! You haven't changed a bit!"

As JD sidled around to Buck's side, even he could tell that the expression upon the older man's face could only mean one thing.

Even if he had not changed at all, it was apparent that this young woman had, and to say anything other than that Buck appeared blindsided by that realization would have been a lie.

…


End file.
